Seeing the twisted serpent struggling to untangle itself, the approaching people's eyes widened disbelievingly.
What happened during their absence?
They were Feng Cheng's escorts. Xiao Rufeng and Feng Cheng both disappeared in a strange place; they searched the whole place several times yet found no one. So they came back to get more helpers.
Obviously, Feng Cheng was more important than the stupid serpent. The returned escorts took the remaining ones with them and went to find their Lord again. Though Bai Yanran and the others didn't go, they kept a distance from that serpent.
The fire was getting stronger and stronger, spreading to the edges of their location. They had to leave this place and march forward again.
Someone intended to catch the stupid serpent, but he was scared back before getting any closer to it.
It was really a bit stupid, but its strength didn't lose out. If a common person tried to take it down, they'd only be killing themselves.
"Hiss!" You foolish mortal, come back! Don't run!
After those people left, Ming Shu took the lifeless egg, approaching the serpent. "Well, let me ask you a question. If you give me a satisfying answer, I will help you untie yourself."
"Humph, no human is kindhearted. Do you think I will believe you?" The serpent's voice was full of distrust.
Ming Shu smiled carelessly. "Okay, then, sorry to interrupt."
The serpent was a little doubtful as it saw Ming Shu turn around to leave, but soon it grew anxious. "You, wait, stop."
Ming Shu turned to look at it.
The golden pupils of the serpent narrowed into slits. It spit out its scarlet tongue. "What do you want to know?"Although it did not want to help this human at all, it really wanted the egg.
The human was cunning, and the serpent was just the same.
Ming Shu raised the colorful egg. "What is this egg?"
"Give it to me and I'll tell you."
Ming Shu thought for a moment, then threw the egg at it. The serpent grabbed the egg with its free tail. But before it could become ecstatic, its glee was put out just like a pot of cold water poured onto a fire. "It's dead, how did it die? What did you do?"
Was this creature a fool? Didn't it hear the conversation before between her and that Master of the Drunken Grass Pavilion?
"You didn't say whether you wanted it dead or alive." Ming Shu spread her hands helplessly, her smile sweet.
"Ahh!" The serpent roared, its twisted body rolling on the ground like a hill. The ground trembled under its movement as well.
"Wow, wow, calm down, okay? I didn't kill this egg. It was the goblin from earlier, he did it, you should blame him." Ming Shu immediately dumped the responsibility onto the man as she saw the serpent was going mad.
The serpent truly had a worrying IQ; it really stopped going mad after hearing Ming Shu's words. With its long tail, it tossed the egg back to Ming Shu and said angrily, "This is a divine beast's egg. I'll be able to upgrade if I eat it. Damn, where does that human live? I'm going to find and punish him."
Divine beast?
Is this something prepared for the female protagonist?
Ming Shu began to recall the story. It seemed the fake female protagonist indeed got a divine beast at the Windy Mountain Range of Demons. Originally, without her stirring everything, the story's plot developed very smoothly and seriously. Xiao Rufeng counterattacked all the way, acquiring rare and valuable treasures, and walking a very smooth uphill road.
Wow, how am I so amazing?
[…] What? Weren't you recalling the plot? How's it suddenly turned into boasting about yourself?
Ming Shu took the dead egg and prepared to leave.
The serpent became anxious at once. "Hey, human, you said you'd help me out."
"Did I say that?" Ming Shu turned around with a light smile, and recalled for a moment before she suddenly realized something. "Ah, yes, I said that. But that was a give-and-take condition of mine, and you altered it, so… I can't help you."
What if it attacked her when she set it free? She wasn't that stupid.
Ming Shu looked at the serpent with regretful eyes, then she jumped out of the fire while shaking her head.
"…" What did she mean by that last look?
Regret for what?
Not eating it?
Why did it come up with this terrible idea.
Ah! So angry!
The serpent was angered into a ball. Abominable human, really cunning.
...
The ground of the Mountain of Dragon Bones was like a furnace. The air was little more than billowing heat waves, with the clear sound of explosions ringing out occasionally.
"What the hell is this place?" Bai Yanran fanned herself with her hands, but everywhere was full of heat waves. She coughed and had to put down her hands.
"Why don't we wait for Lord Seven and his people? Are we going to get out like this?"
"It's not safe for us to stay here, either." The fire was big enough to burn them at any time, not to mention that dangerous serpent.
"Where's Zhi Po?"
Everyone looked back but found no one behind them. The one who was following after them now was gone. They had marched so far just because Zhi Po was at their backs. But where was she?
Someone walked back a distance; after a moment, he returned with a weird look. "She's over there… eating."
"…"
At this time, she was in the mood to eat.
Why hadn't she been stuffed to death?
"Yanran, why don't you go ask her how we can get out of here. Doesn't she have the map?"A girl rested her eyes on Bai Yanran.
But Bai Yanran had been rejected by Ming Shu a few times. Even if she were an idiot, she would have known she'd better not ask for more humiliation. She merely grunted at the girl's proposal. "Go yourself."
"Aren't you close to each other? Yanran, we really want to get out. If we continue walking blindly, we might die here sooner or later."
Bai Yanran still sat by. She was not going to beg that bewitched bitch.
Everyone looked at each other for a while. "Let's take a rest here."
The temperature was too high, they could only stand where they were. With such a high temperature, the place was still surrounded by wild vegetation. No withered plants were within sight, which made everyone feel creeped out deep inside.
Where on earth were they right now?
"Bai Yanran, what are you doing, give it back!"
"I should drink first." Bai Yanran caught the kettle, still possessing the arrogant attitude of a "Miss." She ordered, "Release your hand."
"Bai Yanran, you are going too far! This is my water." Right then, in this blistering environment, water was of great importance. Naturally, she wasn't willing to share it with Bai Yanran, a petty and overbearing young lady.
"Yours? You are nothing but a petty dog of mine!" Bai Yanran shouted as she fiercely made to beat the other. In her eyes was a mixture of hatred and anger. Before, when she was held hostage by the serpent, she asked for help, but none of these people cared.
"Bai Yanran, that's enough!" Some could not stand the scene and stepped forward to pull Bai Yanran away.
"Don't overdo it, do you think this is your Bai family?"
Before, they stomached her misbehavior all because of the Bai family behind her. But now, in a situation of life and death, it was hard to say whether they could escape safe and sound. They were already submerged in resentment and anger in the bottom of their hearts, and now Bai Yan was drawing their ire to herself. They started to blame and scold her one after another.
Faced with a united opposition, Bai Yanran was angered until she burst into laughter. She pointed at them with her index finger. "Great, great, are you rebelling against me? Have you forgotten your flattering looks when you followed me?"
Everyone's expressions were becoming uglier and uglier.
"If you were not the Miss of the Bai family, who would have treated you well? No one could bear your bad temper!" the one who was robbed of her water shouted back at Bai Yanran.
Bai Yanran formed a fist fiercely with her dangling hand, her visage vicious. "You just wait… I'll make you regret when I get out."